The Green Cowpony
by Corbin Slate
Summary: Favor is injured by a new horse. When he wakes things around him have changed. What's going on?


_Rawhide: The Green Cowpony._

_By Corbin _

_Disclaimer: Don't you even try and sue, that wouldn't be too neighborly. Just read the fic, have some fun while you can._

_Rating: PG_

The sky was unusually calm and quiet. The mild weather soothed both the cattle and the drovers as they plodded steadily along toward Sedalia. Gil Favor sat up in his saddle and watched his crew work from a little distance away. The trail boss shifted slightly in the saddle and gently urged his mount forward. He had picked up a new mount from a trader in the last town that they had passed. Favor knew that it was risky using an unfamiliar mount on the drive; but his usual mount had an injured hoof. The injured horse traveled with the spare mounts, but nobody was allowed to ride him. Favor wanted his regular horse to recover fully before he started riding him on the trail again. Well, it wasn't often that Favor came across a horse as smart as the one that had been injured, and it would have been a shame to ruin that animal permanently. 

The horse he was riding now was pretty green. Favor had owned the horse for a little over three weeks now, but that was hardly enough time to create a seasoned cowpony. The little horse had potential, but it was going to take a lot of time and patience on the part of the trail boss to break the animal into its new occupation. Favor felt the nervousness of the horse underneath of him. In fact the animal was just plain jumpy. Favor gripped a chunk of the young horse's black mane in his fist and once again he urged the dark horse forward. He felt the horse's muscles bunch in a fit of sudden fear. The trail boss swore under his breath and quickly tried to settle the young horse, his efforts didn't seem to help. The animal reared up and snorted in fright.

Favor tried to calm the animal as he quickly glanced around for the cause of the outburst. It lay coiled up near a large stone. Favor could hear the slithering animal's signal of warning now between the sound of his horse snorting and pawing in the dirt. The horse reared up once again and began to buck in spite of Favor's efforts to calm him. The horse threw up his head and collided roughly with Favor's chin.

Dazed, Favor fell to the ground as the horse kicked out landing a blow to the trail boss's side. With a final snort the horse ran off, only to have a pair of drovers after it within moments. Rowdy had caught a glance of the entire commotion out of the corner of his eye and found himself rushing to his boss's aide and jumping from his horse mid-stride. Favor moaned, Rowdy grimaced as he tried to visually assess how serious his boss's injuries were. Favor lie on his side, his face in the dirt in a defenseless postion. He wasn't moving and his eyes were closed. 

"Easy Boss, I'm gonna get you some help. You just lie still," Rowdy spoke in a soothing tone even though he wasn't even sure if Favor was even aware enough to hear him speaking. Rowdy froze as a distinct sound suddenly invaded his urgent thoughts and reached his ears.

The ramrod could see the reptile clearly and while he didn't like it being there it was far enough away that Rowdy didn't see the need to kill it, yet. Rowdy breathed a little sigh of relief as Wishbone and Mushy jumped down from the chuck wagon and hurried to Favor's side.

"What happened here Rowdy?" Wishbone asked as he removed Favor's hat and handed it to Rowdy.

"I only saw it out of the corner of my eye, but the horse spooked and bucked the Boss off of it's back. I came over as soon as I realized Mr. Favor was in trouble," Rowdy rubbed the back of his neck and gently brushed the fresh coat of dust from Favor's hat.

Wishbone nodded and carefully turned Favor onto his back. Wishbone felt the trail boss's ribs, they didn't feel broken. Wishbone could hear Favor's labored breathing and figured the ribs were probably bruised from a glancing blow from the horse's hooves. Wishbone checked Favor's head for injuries, his chin was bruised. Wishbone opened Favor's mouth and peered almost down his boss's throat. There was a slight tint of crimson from when Favor had bit the tip of his tongue when the horse hit his chin, all of the teeth were in tact and the jaw wasn't broken. Favor was starting to show signs of bruising already and he was going to be sore when he regained himself.

"Come on boys help me get him up into the supply wagon," Wishbone stated as the two younger men gently lifted Favor up and carried him off.

*

Mr. Favor slowly regained his senses. He blinked a few times trying to see clearly. Things seemed a little different then he remembered. The sky was still blue and clear, but the scenery was filled with dark, lush, green grass and Favor looked above him to see that he had been dozing underneath of a very large cottonwood tree.

Favor reached up and gently felt his jaw, it wasn't swollen, and heck it wasn't even hurting him. Gingerly he put out a hand to the side that the horse had kicked before he managed to black out. He felt normal. Not even a slight twinge of pain. Favor smiled, the last thing that he could recall was the green horse spooking and bucking him off. Maybe it hadn't been as bad as he thought it was going to be. Favor looked up to see Rowdy grinning like it was payday.

"Hey boss, you ready to go?" Rowdy knelt down next to Mr. Favor as Favor adjusted his hat.

"We're ready to move out?" Favor asked Rowdy looked a little confused.

"Uh, sure Boss. I'm ready to go whenever you are Mr. Favor," Rowdy answered offering Favor a little unsure smile.

"Is the herd up?" Favor watched Rowdy squirm a little. The younger man had no clue what "herd" Favor was referring to.

"The herd, Boss?"

"Yes, the herd. The cattle, _boy_. The _cattle_," Favor paused and took a breath trying to figure out what was wrong with Rowdy. "Don't tell me that your horse kicked you in the head," Favor spoke in a slightly bewildered tone of voice. 

The trail boss glanced around the green landscape. There were two horses nearby, his new mount and Rowdy's horse. In the distance there was a winding river that he didn't recognize, but no sign of the herd anywhere. Not a single steer within his field of vision.

Rowdy chuckled. "No, I haven't been kicked in the head in quite awhile. I suppose I'm due for that soon enough," Rowdy smiled again and Favor realized how clean the boy was. Not a speck of dirt on either of the men or their clothing. It was like they were fresh from town, _weird_. "Whenever you're ready to head out we'll get going," The ramrod stated gently pulling Favor back out of his inner questions.

"Where are we headed Rowdy?"

Rowdy flashed another grin and spoke, "Why we're going home, boss."

*

It was now dusk, the sky was streaked with a few small clouds and filled with the pinks and oranges of a perfect sunset. Rowdy didn't stop to enjoy the serene view. The ramrod had assumed command for his injured trail boss, at the present time he was ordering that the herd stop and bed down for the evening. Rowdy was thankful that the crew knew their duties to the herd without hearing Mr. Favor's orders; it sure made things easier to deal with.

Rowdy rode into the camp to grab a cup of fresh coffee and to ask Wishbone how the boss was doing. Rowdy gratefully accepted the mug of fresh brew that Wishbone offered. Rowdy blew on the drink to cool it slightly; he took a careful sip of the dark liquid before he spoke. Rowdy sensed the warmth of the coffee flooding his insides, it gave him a feeling of comfort that he savored.

"How's Mr. Favor doing Wishbone?" Rowdy looked over at the trail boss, Favor looked so calm and peaceful next to the campfire. Wishbone had bedded Favor down near a campfire to be sure that the boss was kept warm throughout the night. 

"Well, he hasn't stirred from the moment we found him. When he wakes up I should be able to tell you something a little more useful. I think that he'll be all right. He's a stubborn man, not the type to let something like this get the better of him," Wishbone stated in a subdued tone hoping that he was right about the boss.

Rowdy nodded and finished his coffee. The ramrod placed the empty mug on the tailgate of the chuck wagon and moved to head out to the herd once more.

"Look after him."

Wishbone only nodded in response to the ramrod's order. The cook watched in silence as the young man walked away to find his horse.

*

"What do you mean we're going home? We should be nowhere near the time to go home. The drive is not even…" Favor halted mid-sentence, it wasn't any use trying to remind Rowdy of the herd. 

Favor stood up and stretched his muscles in spite of the fact that he wasn't even stiff.

Rowdy offered Favor a quiet smile instead of a vocal reply. The younger man sauntered away toward the nearby horses. Rowdy grabbed the reins to Favor's horse and then climbed up onto his own horse. Rowdy led Favor's horse near the trail boss and in an almost playful manner tossed the man the reins.

Favor swung up into the saddle with ease and quickly shifted to find the most comfortable position. The animal underneath of him felt settled and calm, it was quite a change from how the young horse had seemed to the trail boss earlier. Favor gave the horse an affectionate pat on the shoulder and looked over to find that Rowdy was quietly watching him.

"We should get going boss you don't have much time left," Rowdy stated glancing up at the sky, which was filling with dark and unfriendly clouds. Rowdy began to lead the way, riding steadily toward the winding river the trail boss had seen earlier.

"Where are we going exactly Rowdy?" Favor questioned, as he made sure that his horse kept pace with Rowdy's.

"That's a pretty good question, Boss. I'm sorry that I can't give you an answer."

"You mean that you intend to lead me somewhere when you don't have the faintest idea where we are right now?" Favor's expression revealed the irritation that was beginning to brew inside of him.

"I never said that I didn't know where we are. I know exactly where we are and I know where you need to be boss, that's all that really matters," Rowdy spoke in a matter of fact tone, the trail boss finding Rowdy's tone annoying scowled at the younger man.

The faint rumbling of thunder could be heard in the distance. The sky had been blanketed with the heavy clouds that would soon be pouring down rain on the two cowboys. Favor glanced up at the dark sky and back at Rowdy. The trail boss shook his head and then allowed the ramrod to lead on.

The two men rode for what felt like hours on end. Favor listened to Rowdy's cheerful whistle of a familiar tune; that at the time the trail boss couldn't name. Favor was quiet; he was still attempting to figure out where the ramrod was leading him. A low grumble of thunder escaped from the clouds and crept over the darkened landscape. It had just started to sprinkle a tiny mist of rain down on the drovers as they continued toward Rowdy's destination. The drovers had nearly reached the river, which would soon receive rainwater to fill its banks.

The two cowboys stopped at the waters edge and briefly allowed their horses to drink. A massive crack of thunder erupted over the landscape; both the drovers and their mounts were momentarily startled. Seconds later large raindrops poured down onto the drovers.

"Mr. Favor, we've got to cross this river before it floods over!" the young ramrod shouted over the sounds of the clapping thunder and the pouring rain. Rowdy urged his horse forward; he trudged boldly into the fast moving water. The river water easily rose over the horse's back, and it rose further with each passing moment. At the river's mid-point Rowdy was barely able to keep his head above the water. In a short time Rowdy had crossed the swift water and made it safely to the other bank.

Favor gave his horse a light tap and began to proceed across the river. The trail boss had nearly made it across the entire river when he heard a deafening crash. There was a flash of blinding white light and Favor got the sensation that he was falling. Seconds later the trail boss lay silent beside his dead mount in the shallows of the river. 

Rowdy was at Favor's side almost immediately. Gently Rowdy pulled Favor out of the river. "Easy boss," Rowdy said softly as he eased Favor's dazed form down on the muddy riverbank. 

Favor's entire body felt numb, it was an unsettling sensation. Favor looked up at Rowdy. He tried to speak to the ramrod, but was unable to form the words.

"You made it across the river boss," Rowdy gave the dazed man an encouraging smile, "You can go back now."

Favor's vision was failing him. He tried to reach up to rub his eyes, but he was unable to move. Seconds later everything went dark.

"Easy now boss," It was Rowdy's voice. "Your horse threw you and you've been out for a while now. Just lie still and I'll get Wishbone."

Favor felt pain. It was real pain. Favor wondered how long he had been unconscious. Part of him wanted to stand up and take charge of the herd, and the other half of him simply refused to allow him to get up so soon. Favor could here footsteps coming toward him. Rowdy and Wishbone knelt beside the trail boss.

" How do you feel Mr. Favor?" Rowdy asked, he was almost sure he didn't need to hear the boss's reply.

Favor made a little groan, he sounded almost annoyed. He tested his voice and found his jaw flashed with a pain that throbbed like a heartbeat. "I think…I'll be alright," Favor glanced around and found that he had been stripped of his boots and chaps. He felt dizzy; Wishbone offered him a little water to drink. Favor took a tiny sip of the water and lay back against his bedroll.

"Rowdy," Favor paused and closed his eyes for a second, and he allowed a wave of dizziness to pass, "Take charge…until Wishbone gives me my boots back." 

Favor only intended on resting until he had clear thoughts, hopefully before morning. 

"Don't worry boss. Things won't get out of hand," Rowdy stated in a soft tone. 

"Keep the herd in line… Rowdy."

"I know where we need to be boss, no worries," Rowdy stood up and walked away from his boss. The ramrod was a little relieved, at least now the boss was on his way back to being boss again. Rowdy hoped that Favor would have enough sense to rest until he had recovered from his injuries. Rowdy knew that it was just wishful thinking, asking Favor to rest. For a brief moment he was glad that he had ordered Wishbone to take the boss's boots, as well as his chaps and his gun. 

Favor could tell that he was going to need more time than one night to recover enough to work. Favor felt tired again, he fought the urge to sleep momentarily and then gave up.

"I wanted to thank you, Rowdy. Thank you, for helping me find the way back," Favor stated softly as he stood beside the young ramrod.

"You don't have to thank me. I'm not even real," Rowdy replied as he watched the setting sun. Favor stood and said nothing in reply. Even if it was only a dream, Rowdy's presence offered Favor a little reassurance and he dreamed in peace.


End file.
